A journey of yoga, friendship, and transformation

Tag Archives: Honest Abe

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, was born on February 12, 1809. In the past couple of years, I have noticed a lot more talk about this revered American leader, including the release of a highly-acclaimed feature film and a forthcoming television docudrama.

That Lincoln’s impact is still being measured today reminds me that it can take years, lifetimes, and generations to integrate big lessons, in this case those having to do with basic human rights, like freedom and equality. It has been nearly 150 years since Lincoln’s assassination, and we are still reflecting on what his life meant, in the greater context of our nation and our society.

Photo Credit: My Mom – Taken before finding out I was writing a post for Lincoln’s birthday (true story)

The same concept applies, albeit on a smaller scale, to our lives, as individuals. With advances in technology, we have gotten accustomed to everything happening instantaneously. Yet, we must remember that, as humans, we cannot be held to the same standards as our devices. It can (and should) take months, years, and decades to make sense of and integrate our life lessons. We can surely speed integration through awareness – by observing how certain choices make us feel and then using those observations to create a roadmap to our desired outcomes. But, at the end of the day (pun intended), time is a fundamental ingredient in the alchemy of realization.

We are lucky to live in an age when all the information we could ever want is literally at our fingertips, creating the potential for rapid expansion. It is important to consider, however, that the time it takes to manifest the change we want to see in our lives is directly proportional to the time it takes to notice, understand, and be willing to alter our role in maintaining the status quo.

After three weeks into yoga school, I am aware that I have a long way to go and an infinite amount of information still to learn. I know that some of the seeds planted in this early stage of my development as a teacher will come to bloom, weeks, months, and years down the road. I understand that it can’t happen all at once.

But, then again, I’m not all that worried about it right now – because, in the words of Honest Abe: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

Here’s to building a bright, beautiful future – one day at a time. Happy birthday, Honest Abe!